Dimitris Farmakis

  Step into the mind of one of chess history’s greatest pioneers with ''Learn From The Best - Mikhail Botvinnik Part I: 1927–1938''. This meticulously crafted book offers an immersive journey through the early career of Mikhail Botvinnik, the Soviet grandmaster whose revolutionary approach to chess laid the foundation for modern competitive play. Covering a formative period from 1927 to 1938, this collection showcases hand-picked games that highlight Botvinnik’s ascent as a strategic genius and his profound influence on the game. What sets this book apart is its unique approach to game analysis. Rather than merely presenting a dry sequence of moves or overwhelming readers with endless variations, the author delves deeply into the logic behind each decision. Every game is a story of ideas, plans, and strategic battles, with a focus on unraveling the thought processes that guided Botvinnik’s play. Why did he choose a particular move? What was the broader plan he pursued?...

As a teenager Mikhail Botvinik loved to play the Cambridge-Springs and his results were n't bad at all. Here is a fine strategic game by him where masterfully exploited White's inaccuracies. Zaslavsky, A. - Botvinnik, Mikhail  Leningrad-5ch sf Leningrad, 1926 Queen's Gambit declined, D52 (Interactive board at the end of the post) 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bg5 c6 6. e3 Qa5 This was Botvink’s favourite system back in those years. Black is going to put pressure on the dark squares on the queenside with …Bb4 and …Ne4. Moreover the queen from a5 supports a possible …b7-b6 followed by …Ba6 exchanging the traditionally "bad" Black bishop for White’s "good" bishop. 7. Nd2 Bb4 8. Qc2 O-O 9. Nb3?! As a general rule one should never move the same piece twice in the opening neglecting development , yet White moved this knight for a third time (!) and we can safely assure that Black is going to equalise now for sure. 9...Bxc3+ 10. bxc3 Qa4...

A beautiful and instructive strategic game with the Stonewall Dutch by teenager Botvinnik 

 Another exemplary game with the Taimanov Attack. This time the advanced e6-pawn proved to be a very tough nut to crack and inspired White to find a beautiful combination. More about the Taimanov - Korchnoi Attack in KID here .

  Another typical exemplary game with the 3...Qc7 system in the Sicilian Rossolimo. The four black musketeers outplayed White, who was left with no counter-play. Many thanks to deltakiss for sharing. Feel free to send me your games with opening variations suggested in my books and I will happily annotate them and publish them on my blog. Cheers! Click image to see the book

  Happy to receive games with the openings analysed in my books. This time was Netrichess. Thank you my friend.  Annotations by Dimitris Farmakis

  Catch your Caro Kann opponents on preparation with the aggressive Van Der Wiel Attack. White grabs space on the kingside early on aiming to use this space for a crushing attack. More

 Although the following game is a blitz 3 0 game it demonstrates quite well the sneaky idea of the 3...Qc7 response to White's Rossolimo Sicilian. To learn more about the 3...Qc7 in Rossolimo Sicilian just click on the book's cover image. The book is available on all Amazon online stores. Thank you my friend Bosonio for sharing it! Feel free to send me any game you play with the variations I propose in my books and I ll be happy to analyse it and publish it on my blog. Cheers!

BUY Another beautiful game with the Taimanov Korchnoi Attack in KID. (click the image to see the book) Many thanks to deltakiss for sharing it. Annotations by Dimitris Farmakis.

  Many thanks to deltakiss who shared this game with me. It shows how dangerous this variation is.  Annotated by Dimitris Farmakis.  

  Surprise your opponents in Rossolimo Sicilian with 3...Qc7, a new sneaky idea which aims to bind and outplay White as early as from the opening! 136 pages, English, May 2022. Hardcover, paperback and Kindle format. Available on all Amazon markets. BUY

  The Center Game Opening - 4.Qa4 for White The 4.Qa4 line in the Center Game opening is an attempt to surprise and confuse to some extent your opponent. Black is forced to think as early as move 4 and play in unchartered territory. Another surprise weapon, perfect for those who don't want to study heavy theory. 38 pages, English, June 2021 Paperback and Kindle. Available on all Amazon markets. BUY

  The Taimanov-Korchnoi Attack is an out of fashion old line in which the Black King very often lacks a pawn shield, whilst the typical blocked King's Indian Defence centre is not blocked at all! Those two factors significantly increase the accuracy level required by Black in these types of positions and make White's play much easier. A perfect surprise weapon! 161 pages, English, February 2021. Hardcover, paperback and Kindle format. Available on all Amazon markets. BUY

  The really simple 1.e4: A complete White repertoire. Surprise your opponents with a 149 pages complete 1.e4 White repertoire for amateurs club players, based on the principle that we don't really mind playing equal positions or even slightly inferiors (say evaluation -0,21 or -0,31) as long as our opponents concede permanent weaknesses, because after all, it's the position that matters in games between amateurs chess players. Getting such a position right out of the opening serves excellently as a compass: You will never lose your way in the middle game as there is always at least one clear plan at your disposal: target the permanent weaknesses! 149 pages, English, April 2020 Hardcover, paperback and Kindle format. Available on all Amazon online markets. BUY